Railway-crossing alarm and signal



(No Model.)

J. BIEDER.

RAILWAY CROSSING ALARM AND SIGNAL.

No. 264,129. Patented Sept. 12, 1882.

a, 620. was film/4a,.-

UNITED STATES RAILWAY-CROSSING PATENT OFFICE,

JACOB BIEDER, OF ASHT-ABULA, OHIO.

ALARM A ND SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No 264,129, dated September 12, 188.2,

Application filed April 20, 1882. (No model.)

10 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB BIEDER, of Ashtabula, in thecounty 0t Ashtabula and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway- Crossing Alarm Signals, of which the following is a specification.

The nature and objects 0t this invention are to provide a means for giving timely notice at the crossings on railroads of approaching trains, so that people at or near the railroad may be enabled to be guarded against the dangers attendant upon crossing railway-tracks.

This invention consists in the arrangement of a lever and attendant suitable appendages by the side of the track, which is to be operated by the car-wheels passing over and depressing the short arm of" said lever, the long arm of which is connected by wires or other suitable means fixed upon posts for ringing a bell or gong at the crossing to give warning, the said lever and its appliances being located at a suflicient distance from the crossing to give ample time for any one approaching the railway to take the warning and be on their guard.

The invention also consists in a device for holding the long arm of the lever up, and so depress the short arm thereof that the wheels of a passing train would not strike the lever, and thus avoid giving the alarm, the object of this being to avoid giving the alarm alter a train has passed the crossing, and thus avoid the misapprehension of the direction of passing trains. railways, one set of the device being attached on both sides of the crossing. On double tracks only one of these devices would be required for each track, as the trains run but one way on each track.

To enable others to fully understand my in vention, I will proceed to describe the same in detail.

Referring, to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing my (levices located alongside of a railway-track. Fig.

2 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detached view of the lever and some of its connections.

A represents a railway-track.

B is a lever arranged by the side of said track, to be operated by the wheels of a locomotive or car in passing over the track.

The rails a a, where they are united, have a This is intended for single-track small space cutout about two thirds across the end of a rail to provide a recess for the end of the lever to play in. This recess need be only one inch wide, so as not to cause anyjariing of the train in passing over.

The said lever B lies between two bars, I) I), and is pivoted at b, so as to present the short arm to and within the aforesaid recess in the rails a a, while the long arm of said lever B shall have considerable motion given 10 its outer end, so as to insure ample movement to the alarm-bell at all times.

Near the outer'end of said lever B is located a post, 0, to the upper end of which is pivoted which is connected by a vertical connectingrod, D, to the outer end of the said lever B.

To the vertical arm of said lever c is attached a wire, d, connecting it with analarm'bell, E, hung by suitable means to the armfof a post, F, located at the road crossing the railwaytrack. The said bell E is provided with a spring, g, connecting it with the ppst, for the purpose of counteracting the pull of the aforesaid wire (1 and assist in the ringing of the bell. The distance between the operating-lever and the alarm-bell must be sufficient to give ample time for the alarm to sound before a train reaches a crossing.

Now, when desired to throw the device out of gear and prevent the sounding of the alarm when a train has passed a crossing, I provide as follows: H is, a rock-shaft set in suitable bearings, h h, with one end next to the rail 0- oi the track, and having a short arm or lever, It, to be operated upon by the wheels of a locomotive to turn said lever h down. Said shaft H is also provided with a segmental gear, 2', meshing with a rack, i, on the arm of a wedge, j, which is fitted to play in a slot cut in the under side of the bars I) b. The purpose and object of this wedge, it will be observed, is to lift and hold up the long arm of the lever B, and thereby depress 'the opposite or short end within the aforesaid recess in the railwayrails, and thus prevent the said lever being operated upon by the wheels of the cars in passing over the same. This shaft H is placed on the side of the lever B farthest away from the crossing. On the opposite side of the lever B is arranged a second rock-shaft, K, having a short arm or lever, 10, located alongside of the a right-angle lever, o, the horizontal arm of railway-rail, to be operated upon by the wheels of the locomotive in like manner to that of h. The said rock-shalt has a depending arm, 7;, with a sliding push-rod, k pivoted thereto, for the purpose of pushing the a l'oresaid wedgej back again from under the lever B, and thereby allow the same to drop down into its original position and again bring it into working order for giving an alarm.

Thus it will be seen that this device works automatically both in giving the alarm and in adjusting it into and out of gear.

For the safety and protection of the lower working parts of this device from the weather, or from becoming clogged with dirt, snow, or ice, and to preventbeing tampered with, I make a suitable hox, housing, or platform over the same, the whole being arranged so as to bring the top of the platform on a level with the railway.

Having now described my invention, I claim as follows:

1. The combination, with the railwayrails a (1, having the recess, as described, ot' thelever 1 pivoted between the bars I) Z), with its short arm resting in said recess, and the outer end or long arm connected by connecting-rod D to a rightangle or bell-crank lever, 0, pivoted to the top of post 0, said lever 0 being connected by wire (1 to a bell, E, with spring, hung to an illlILf, on the top oi'F,1ocated at the crossing, whereby the wheelsof a passing train shall operate upon the said lever B to operate the said bell to give the alarm and signal, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the rails to of a railway, ot' the shafts H and K, set in suitable bearing-s, it h, having respectively arms h and Ir, the shaft H having a segmental gear, 11, working in a rack, i, on the arm of a wedge, j, andthe shaft K having depending arm is, with a sliding push-rod, kithe said shal'ts operating through the medium of the wheels of the locomotive to throw the said lever B into and out of gear, as and for the purpose specitied.

JAOOB BIEDER.

Vitnesses:

W. H. HUBBARD, F. W. RICHARDS. 

